Mould



Jan. 13, 1959 E. B. RATCLIFFE 2,867,887

MOULD Filed April 24, 1956 I '3 3.2 A 6 6 WWFW' Fg r11 fan A20 Bevan/547C; FF'E Arrowwvzr MOULD Edward Bevan Ratcliife, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, 'assignor to Angelstone .Limited, Hamilton, Ontario,

Canada Applic'ation'A'prii 24, 1956,"'Se'rial No;s0,2's4

2.Claims. c1. 25-;119)

This invention relates to moulds,-and more particularly to moulds for poured concreteor-cast stone bricks and blocks.

Concrete blocks and so-called cast stone blocks have attained universal consumer acceptance. These blocks are formed by charging a mix of cement, aggregate (which in the case of cast stone will'include various types of crushed stones) and'water into shaped moulds,'which, for economy and quality manufacturemay consist of a compartmented tray. These moulds may then be vibrated to pack the mix and provide a'dense product, and then permitted to set with or without curing.

'Because -fcr some of the larger 'shapes these blocks may weigh several hundred pounds, the blocksare often difficult to remove from the mould after setting.

Various methods of obtaining quick and easy removal o these moulds have been suggested. 1 For "instance, it is common to make the dividers between'the'various compartments in the-mould removable. In such-a case, the ends of the mould are removed and the dividers withdrawn, one at a time. After'al lthe dividers have been removed, the-blocks may be withdrawn again one at a time to prevent damage to the blocks.

This method," now' in exten'siveuseisnot'only time con- "suming, and'consequeritly"expensive, 'but in addition severely limits thesize and-quantity of the blocks which may be producedin a single mould.

In addition, blocks are often required with a simple groove or other undercut portion precisely located therein. For example, a block used asthe'base of a window should .have a longitudinal groove on the underside of the block to'preventwater from running a longthe undersideof the block and intothe structure of-the-building. -Such a groove acts as a drip and draws water off before it-reaches .the structure. Such grooves, if cut by hand, are expensive and time consuming. I

- It .is an important object ofxthis :invention, therefore,

to provide a mould for pouredconcrete or cast, stone bricks a-ndblocks which will permit-of easy removal of the set bricks and blocks.

It is another object of this invention to provide such a mould as will obviate individual handling of the set bricks and blocks to effect removal from the mould.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a mould of greater capacity as to size of block and/or number of blocks than has heretofore been practical.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide such a mould whereby a groove or other simple undercut portion may be provided in the finished block without the necessity of hand cutting.

These and other advantageous objects will become apparent through a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the attached drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an assembled mould with ends removed constructed so as to embody features of this invention.

Patented Jan. 13, 1959 -Figure'2 is an end view" of the mould shown in Figure 1' showing "the mouldin position for filling.

Figure is 'a*view similar to Figure 2 but showing the mould in position for emptying.

Figure-4-is an end view of a mould liner, and

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 2 but-showing the mould liner in position.

The invention consists broadly in theformat on of a 'mult-i-compartment mould from'a number' of stock steel "channels,- joined" at th'eir'sides to provide a unitary structure whereby, after blocks poured therein have set, the mould may be inverted and the bottom flexed distending the sides of each compartment, and permitting the "blocks to drop out of the mould without the necessity of individual handling A further embodiment of the invention also contemplates the'tlse of a mould liner -having such a configuration'as to' provide a groove or othersim'p'le :undercut portion-on the finished block with the blocks when the 'mould is-flexedabout its bottom, and which may thereafter easily be withdrawn from 'theblocks.

-ln greaterdetail -andreferring tothe drawings, Figure 1"illustratesin perspectiveacompletely assembled mould constructed so as 'to'e-mbody features of this invention. The mould has two removable endsfl and-2 which may be releasabl-y connected to the-body ofthemou-ld'3 as by means of bolts, brackets and eyes indicated-generally as at 4. The-ends 1 andl may conveniently be zformed :with

an I-shaped cross-section of :thezproper dimensions .so-that one side of the Iz fitssnugly over: the ends of" the .chane-ls -3A, 3'B, etc. 'An*end:closure. of this shape affords the following advantages:

(a) It serves as a guide to locate the end properlysaon the form;-

- (b)::It holds :the'form rigid when the form is beingcar- 'riedzand when' the :form is inverted, :it prevents'theform from flexing .in thenmanner hereinafter described (ice.

.ingof az'numberzof longitudinal-channels; "Thefstock channels-may. convenientlybe joined together-by means of a seriesof spot Welds along the top edge and end edges thereof. The .outside: channels are reinforced with a single plate whichrmay be similarly affixed.

The use ofrsuch channels in the mannerdescribedgives walls betweenizthe. channels of-double metalthickness,

and a bottom of singlet. metal :thickness. This feature is particularly \im-portantfas: willvbe pointed out hereinafter.

. Theilo'ngitudinal' channels may; if.desired; be. separated into two or more compartments by the use of transverse dividers 5'. For reasons which will become apparent hereafter, these dividers must be carefully shaped so as to conform closely with the configuration of the channel, and must be secured in the channel through fastening only on the bottom thereof. This could be accomplished by a simple fillet weld.

Handles 6 are provided on both sides of the body of the mould 3. H

The width and depth of the channels will determine the cross sectional dimensions of the cast block while the number and location of the transverse dividers will determine the length. These will, of course, be chosen to produce a block of whatever dimensions are required. The number of channels and the length thereof will be governed solely by structural considerations bearing in mind the Weight of the finished block.

. ness, affording rigidity and strength.

In the cast stone art, two standard and desirable blocks are 2%" x 4" in cross section and either 2 feet or 4 feet in length. Both of these standard sizes can be produced in a finished mould approximately 4' x 4. Such a mould would be formed from 18 channels, each 4"long and having an inside width of 2%" and an inside depth of at least 4". The 2' blocks would 'be formed by .the provision of one set of transverse dividers located midway along the channels.

The operation of a mould so constructed is as follows:

With the ends secured in place, the mould is charged with mixed cement, aggregate, and water of the desired uct, the mould may thenbe transferred to a vibrating table where it is agitated to effect a packing of the parlift truck which engages the handles 6 provided in the sides of the mould body 3.

1 After the mould is so inverted, the weight of the blocks will cause the base to flex (as shown in exaggerated form in Figure 3) and the sides will distend, permitting the blocks to drop out of the mould.

composition. To obtain a more dense and uniform prod- 1 It is important that the mould in order to permit this quick removal possess at least two structural qualities.

First, the bottom must be flexible to permit the side walls to distend, and second, the side walls between the channels must be rigid in order to withstand deformation from the weight of the mix charged therein and thus provide a uniform block in spite of repeated prolonged use. Y

1 These two features are accomplished in my invention through the building up of the mould through the joining Formed in such a way, the

of a number of channels. bottom is of single metal thickness, permitting of flexibility, while intermediate walls are of double metal thick- In addition, the flexibility of the bottom is measured by the fact that it comprises a plurality of joined compartments rather than a single unitary surface.

For the 4' x 4 forms and channel dimensions of 4" X 2%" a 16 gauge steel will be found to give the required flexibility.

A further embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figure 4. 'In many applications, it maybe desirable, for ornamental or structural reasons, to provide a groove or other undercut portion on the finished block. Blocks of this type are in extensive use as window sills,. and a tegrally on one side wallof each mould compartment, but if this were done, it might preclude the set block from dropping out of the mould, since the bottom of the mould would require extensive flexing to provide the relatively great separation of the dividers to permit the ridge to be withdrawn from the groove. In practice to provide a groove of the required dimensions, the bottom cannot be flexed sufficiently to permit theblock to drop out without using extremely light metal which would not give sufiicient durability to the form.

This disadvantage --is obviated through the'use of a mould liner indicated at 7 in Figure 4. This liner formed of flexible metal, fits over the compartment side walls and lines the bottom of all compartments. When the mould is inverted andflexed, the liner drops out with the blocks, and may readily be withdrawn therefrom. The liner, of course, is formed to incorporate a ridge of the required dimensions to provide the groove or undercut portion re quired on the finished block.

In the preferred embodiment described above, a liner of 20 gauge steel would possess the required properties.

The invention has been described in detail with reference to preferredembodiments. It is to be understood, however, that such embodiments are offered by way of illustration only, and are not intendedto be limitations of the invention. Such embodiments of the invention as come within the scope and purview of the appended claims, are to be considered as part of this invention. What I claim as my invention is: 1. A multi-compartmentconcrete and cast stone block mould comprising a plurality of channels firmly joined together at their sides providing thereby a unitary structure,

the properties and dimensions of the channels being such as to provide thereby a flexible bottom for said unitary structure, a plurality of transverse dividers located in said channels said dividers being of such dimensions as to fit firmly in the channels and being aflixed to the channels only at the bottom thereof, and removable end members adapted to seal the ends of said unitary structure.

2. A multi-compartment mould as claimed in claim 1 together with a flexible removable mould liner, said liner longitudinal groove on the underside of such a sill will being adapted to line the sides and bottoms of each of said channels, and having a ridge of defined dimensions formed therein adapted to provide a groove of correspondingdimensions in the cast blocks.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Hasche Oct. 8, 1935 

